A Desert Bloom
by Grignard
Summary: Awake in the middle of the night, Aravis finds comfort with a midnight companion.


_Longtime lurker in C.S. Lewis fanfiction but a writer in other fandoms, I wanted to try my hand in HHB stories. This was always my favorite book with the Narnia books and the influx of OC and Suspian stories led me to post this one._

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Aravis padded softly down the hallway of Anvard Castle. Tucking the folds of her robe closer around her she made her way around pillars and down stairs. She always felt chilled in the castle. Even the hottest day in Archenland was like a pale candle to the scorching arid climate of Calormen.

It had been one year since the long lost heir to the throne had returned bringing with him a rather unusual Tarkheena. Thinking of the alternative, Aravis scoffed silently in her head. Most noblewomen delighted in the prospect of luxury through a beneficial marriage but that was not the life for her. Calormene women were nothing more than bargaining pieces used by fathers to obtain wealth from their future husbands. Here, in Anvard, Narnia and the north, women stood equally beside the men. Even Cair Paravel had two sisters who ruled alongside the High King! Such a culture continued to remain an enigma to her as the teachings of her childhood demanded subservience and complete faith in the male dominated society.

She had complete faith, however, in Aslan, and in… She fought the blush that appeared on her face. Leaping off a panicked horse in order to charge a potentially raging lion was something she would have only thought occurred in the legends of old. To think that a mere fishmonger's son would save her, a Tarkheena who would never deign to meet his eye while passing through the street. It was unheard of.

Startled she spied a light shining from an open doorway. Her reason for being up at this hour was to get a drink of water from the kitchens so she was surprised to see anyone else was awake. Water, another glorious benefit to the north, was a precious commodity whole wars were fought over by Tarkaans was so easily obtained in the cooler climate.

Peeking shyly around the doorway she flushed to see who it was.

"Oh! You're still up!" she could not help but exclaim. She averted her eyes respectfully as was custom to her background.

The person behind the desk glanced up from his paperwork. The dreaded documents seem to pile upwards and ever if someone did not keep a tight hold on it. Unfortunately him and paperwork mixed as well as oil and water. He was flustered to be caught so easily at procrastinating.

"What can I do for you?"

He motioned for her to enter and she sat in a comfortable chair. He ran his hands through his hair, a fact that he was surprised to see that many of his family members emulated. Anyone close to him knew it was typical sign of nervousness.

Aravis though curious did not question him directly.

"I went for a drink of water." Despite the time spent with him, she was not sure of her status within his family. She was not a mere guest after all. She knew what she wished to say but her young mind could not bring herself to say the words. He was the closest thing to a…

"Aravis."

Her eyes met to study his face and noticed an uncharacteristic seriousness in his face.

"You've been here a year now and I hope that you are feeling comfortable but the others and I have been discussing your future here and…"

"You're not sending me back are you?" she asked with great distress. "If you are unhappy with me, please, I can change myself. Anything you wish, just don't send me back," she ended her plea with a whisper. Leaving Anvard would be like leaving paradise. It would mean having to return to Calormen and her gilded cage.

The person behind the desk leapt to his feet, crouched down and gently took her hands in his. The dark skin contrasted with pale white fingers.

"I would never _ever_ send you way unless you wished it. I would never do anything without your permission. He wiped away a few tears which had leaked from her eyes. What happened to you, to us, will never happen again," he murmured darkly, "even if I have to spend my dying breath defending you." "Do you understand?"

Aravis nodded with wide dark eyes. Such a declaration further endeared him further to her heart. Satisfied that he was not going to send her away she relaxed and chastised herself for jumping to conclusions.

"I wanted to say that in your time here you can freely speak your mind. Obviously you've been walking around thinking you'd be sent back if you've made the slightest transgression. Well, you will not be. In fact your arguments with Corin are probably what have kept him in line for this long."

She looked troubled, doubting for a moment whether if what he said was a jest. He decided to be straight to the point.

"No more royal titles, no more bows, you can call anyone anything without consequence, just be yourself."

And with that statement a smile blooms upon her face like a flower greeting the morning sun. Secure in her future and her home (her home! How joyous that sounds) she wanted to be absolutely sure.

"Anything?"

"Anything you believe in your heart to be true."

She smiled again and walked out the door. Grudgingly hunkering down to return to the boring business of paperwork he barely missed her last statement.

"Thank you…Father."

The smile on King Lune's face rivaled the one he had the day he found his missing son.

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_I'm a big fan of guess who's really talking writing. Thank you and please review._


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